/SUBSYSTEM (Windows CE 5.0)

This option tells the operating system how to run the .exe file.

/SUBSYSTEM:{CONSOLE|WINDOWS|NATIVE|POSIX|WINDOWSCE}[,major[.minor]]

The subsystem is specified as follows:

The CONSOLE subsystem is for a Win32 character-mode application. Console applications are given a console by the operating system. If main or wmain is defined, CONSOLE is the default.
The WINDOWS subsystem applies to an application that does not require a console, probably because it creates its own windows for interaction with the user. If WinMain or wWinMain is defined, WINDOWS is the default.
The NATIVE subsystem applies to device drivers for Windows NT.

The optional major and minor version numbers specify the minimum required version of the subsystem:

The arguments are decimal numbers in the range 0 through 65,535.
The default is version 4.00 for CONSOLE, WINDOWS, and NATIVE; and version 2.00 for WINDOWSCE.
For /SUBSYSTEM:WINDOWS and /SUBSYSTEM:CONSOLE, the version number must be 3.10 or higher.
For /SUBSYSTEM:WINDOWSCE, the version must be at least 1.0.

There are no upper bounds for version numbers.

The choice of subsystem affects the default starting address for the program. For more information, see the /ENTRY - Entry-Point Symbol option.

Additional resources